Mackay School of Mines Building Photo by Bob Blesse, Courtesy
of Special Collections, University of Nevada, Reno Library

William S. Richardson, of the prominent New York architectural firm
of McKim, Mead, and White, designed the Mackay School of Mines Building
in the Georgian Revival architectural style in 1906. Built by Northwestern
Construction Company, the original configuration for the building was
U-shaped, enclosing an open-ended atrium. The front section of the building
was laid with Flemish-bond brick and features a two-story portico with
four monumental Tuscan columns of Indiana limestone, and a white mosaic
tile ceiling under the portico. In 1926, Frederic DeLongchamps undertook
a remodeling project, adding a second story and enclosing the atrium.
He also added the present copper-sheathed hipped roof and skylights.

Comstock Lode "King" John
Mackay made a fortune in the Comstock mining boomPhoto courtesy of Terri McBride

The Mackay family funded construction of this building in honor of Comstock
Lode "King" John Mackay , an Irish immigrant, who
made a fortune in the Comstock mining boom. At the time of his death,
John Mackay's estate was worth at least $30,000,000. Mackay's son, Clarence,
provided funding for the building and its later remodeling. Sculptor Gutzon
Borglum, of Mount Rushmore fame, designed the cast bronze statue of John
Mackay located at the front of the School of Mines. The Mackay School
of Mines is one of the major schools of mines in the county and the building
also houses the Geology Museum, established in 1906. The collections,
which also include Mackay family silver, are extremely valuable to the
history of mining in Nevada and the American West. They are in constant
use for teaching and research.

The Mackay School of Mines Building is located on the north end
of the University of Nevada's Reno campus quadrangle, near the intersection
of Ninth and Virginia sts. For information on campus tours call 775-784-4700
or visit the university's
website.